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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (June 9, 1921)
-■=■ i The monitor A NATIONAL WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor $2.00 a Year 5c a Copy \ OMAHA, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, JUKE it, 1ML Vo1 VI- >»• :»4'’ Whole So. SI* THE i “RACE WAR” IN TULSA AND WHAT CAUSED IT TRIFLINh 'NCIDENT INCITES \1 CARNAGE Colored Youth Accidently Step> on White Girl’s Foot in Ele vator. Precipitating a Race War in Which Several Are Killed, Hundreds Wounded, Square Mile of City is Reduced to Ashes and 8,000 Rendered Homeless. Threats of Lynching lad Starts Trouble. RACE MEN DETERMINE TO PREVENT LYNCHING White Mob Numbering 150 Surround Jail Threatening to Lynch Richard Rowland: Colored Men Arm and Are Led by Returned Overseas Soldier, Determine to Protect Him. Crowds Clash. Charged Whites Fired First. Segregated Business and Resi dence District Set on Fire. (Special to The Monitor by Fred C. William-, Staff Correspondent.) Tul.-a Okla, June 9.—It was a trif ling incident that caused the terrible outbreak in this city last week. The toll in known deaths is reported at 40. I say this advisedly, for there Is always means of suppressing farts when certain people in authority do not want them known. The known wounded run way up into the hun dreds, It is conservatively placed at 600, but this in my judgment is below the actual figures. Property losses are placed at about $2,000,000. It is absolutely impossible to conceive of the horrors of the scene or of the hell that broke loose here, but the horror j and terror was not all on one side; Negroes were not the cowed, terror-! stricken, broken-spirited crowd that! press dispatches would have the pub lic believe. Odds were against them, j it is true, but determination to protect I themselves was not wanting. The j losses of our people are heavy and' destitution great. The unfortunate | feature to my mind is the bitterness’ of spirit engendered and the waning faith in the minds of our people in the | disposition of the white people to deal justly with our group. This to my r mind is ominously tragic for both ra-j cial groups. The incident which was apaiently the inciting cause was only the super ficial one. There had been preparation j for this outbreak It had long been foie . rn and long planned, just as the riots in East St. I.ouis, Washington and Omaha were skillfully planned, j The causes leading up to this tragic | affair, for which the alleged “assault by a Negro upon a white orphan girl” furnished the excuse were deeper than appear on the surface. Here are my conclusions covering the cause- that in all probability led to the final outbreak which has proved i i so disastrous. First, It was a well de fined plan that has been mapped out by the leading political and civic or ganizations of Tulsa for the purpose of getting po I -ion of the territory which had been organized by Negroes and known as “Little Africa." anil according to the policy of Tulsa was pointed out us a succesfullv segre gated district where the Negro was ever under the eyes of the city fathers and could lie easily controlled or sub dued as the occasion might demand. And true to custom of (he South, this section was divided from the white sections by the ever present railroad tracks and then skirted, as the rail road facilities increased, by other road As Tulsa grew in wealth, busi ness and industry, so did the Negro population grow' In numbers and spread over ami beyond the new and last railroad tracks. The Negroes grew in wealth, developed big and well-paying businesses; also fine and well appointed, as well as richly fur nished homes. As the city's busine-s and industries grew, so did the business of the rail roads, and Tulsa became a big dis tributing point, demanding increased warehouse and wholesale housing fa cilitie-; and the real estate board of tbe Cham iter of Commerce, which had charge of the planning of the city, realized that the area now set aside and known as "Little Africa” was thy one spot, anti only practical location for this new wholesale district. They had sounded the Negrops about sell ing their holdings and found them un willing, posititvely refusing to con sider the plan. So they bided their time, and having decided, by hook or erook, to bring about a change of thought among the Negroes, they made a complete plan (which their action- on Wednesday morning proved) and waited for the psycholog ical moment to put it into operation, which came on Tuesday night, May 31. A young Colored boy entered an ele vator operated by a white girl, upon whose foot he treail accidently and awkwardly stumbled against her. The girl remonstrated loudly and angrily, which exclamations attracted the at tention of a loafer, said to he a Greek, loitering in the lobby, who rushed to the elevator threatening the now thoroughly frightened Colored boy, who dodged and ran away. The facts are gathered by a curb reporter on an afternoon sheet known as The Trib une, who plays it up in the most in flammatory manner, which has an in stant efeet upon the large “rough neck” population of Tulsa, composed of the workers of the oil fields who bear a reputation as men of the rough and ready type even in peaceful times —something on the order of the min ers of the old western gold fields. Dick Rowland, the Colored boy, was arrested and placed in prison by a Colored officer, Henry Pack. The streets were by this time packed with the loafers, hoodlums, the rough men from the oil fields and crow'ds of curi ous on-lookers, for the word had gone arund that there would lie a lynching. Sheriff .McCullough, who has always Seen friendly to the Negroes ami seemingly fair, prepared to meet the ituation by appointing twenty Col ored men as deputies in addition to | the two he already possessed. As the i mob fury increased after each exhor 1 tation to disperse by the sheriff, mayor, and prominent citizens, both Colored ami white, the Negro quarter having received its warnings of the happenings around the jail, decided to strengthen thp position of the sheriff by offering further assistance, which he refused, declaring that the eleva tors had been drawn to the top floor where the jail was situated and the [ stairs heavily charged with electric-' ity and that he and his deputies [ would die In defense of their prisoner. | Hut some of the Colored citizens re membered Omaha ami decided (o take up a position near the Jail house iii; the event that the mob attacked, j There were wo automobile loads. They were soon sighted by the mob| (told they were on forbidden ground, they were in the white man’s terri tory to the south of the well defined [dead line, Ihe Frisco tracks, and on investigation, finding these men arm ed they became incensed and rushed tlie ears. There was a sound of firing ami afer the first discharge it was discovered that several white men were down and two of the Negroes dead. Then came the retreat of the I Negroes hack to the segregated dis trict where they were met by others and the battle was on. This was 10:45 I*. M. Tuesday night. The [crowd immediately broke Into all [hardware nd gun stores, as well as the armory, arming themselves with every conceivable weapon. There was firing between small groups all dur ing the night. While the preparations for tlie carrying out of that long- de layed well defined plan to gain the territory now possesed by the Negroes to teaeli the now impudent Negro a tasting lesson by destroying his spirit of independence through the de struction of his property, his business, and even ills life; and this was the I way it waB done: First a cordon of armed men in automobiles was drawn around tlie northern and eastern sections of “Little Africa", then all of ttie avail able airplanes, to the number of eight, were called into service. They did Hcout duty. Then men, perstun ubly members of the American Legion and local militia, armed with bayonets and rifles, accompanied by a large body of special policemen, I advanced from the south and west, demanding the surrender at each home of the inmates, taking the men prisoners or shooting them down if showing the least resistance or hesi tation, and allowing the women to escape to the south, taking the men Monitor Starts Relief Fund for Tulsa Riot Victims MONITOR RELIEF FUND FOR TULSA RIOT VICTIMS That The Monitor’s action in starting a relief fund for the vic tims of the Tulsa riot is approved has been shown by verbal and telephone messages from several persons with the assurance that they would contribute to the fund. The contributions up to the present however have been slow. The first to be received was $1.00 from Mrs. Alonzo Jackson. The Waiters of the Blackstone Hotel have sent in $12.50. This makes the total amount in hand $23.50. We hope to have this substantially increased by our next issue. Don’t delay. Send in something, however small. We want the children to send in their pennies too. Due acknowledgement will be made and exact accounting for the Fund. Let everybody help. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. The Monitor Publishing Company. $10.00 Mrs. Alonzo Jackson. 100 Waiters, Blackstone Hotel 12.50 Total . $23.50 westward under guard to quickly provided stockades. This vanguard, following these tactics with the air planes hovering above, soon reached Greenwood avenue, the heart of the Negro business section. A mob which had followed in their wake had loot ed and set fire to the homes which they had forced the Negroes to va cate. Now the airplanes got in their deadly work and a machine gun which had come down Archer Avp nue sent a shower of deadly missies through the buildings on both sides of Greenwood. The airplanes dropp ed inflammable bombs upon the roofs of the buildings setting the buildings on fire, forcing the inmates into the streets where those who were not killed were captured or forced to surrender. At 11:30 the destruction of the district was complete and 3000 homes two blocks of fine and prosperous business representing a loss of $2 000,000, (5,000 men, women and child ren were prisoners, and the well loid plans for putting the fear of white men into the heart of the Negro had been carried out. Immediately the Brigadier General of the State Na tional Guard appeared upon the scene and with only 100 men had completely subjcted the crowd to military Uicipline, martial law was invoked, and the now gleeful mob went hack joyfully across the Frisco tracks leaving a desolate and ruined district that was once pros perous homes of the Negroes, each one of the mob carrying home with him some loot from tbs terror strick en district. EYES OK |{ YCE ON NATIONAL REIM BLICA N COMMITTEE Washington, D. C., June !).—The I National Republican Committee is in -ession here and -ome of the members among them R. Beecher Howell of Ne braska, are in favor of reducing the number of delegates from the South ern states to the national republican convention. This means unconditional surrender to the Lily Whites, Prom inent leaders here are making it plain to the committee that elimination of the Southern Negro from tire repub lican party will meet resentment in the North and West. Mr. Howell has received telegrams from prominent Colored men of Nebraska making their iwsition very plain and urging him to vote against the proposition. Important Notice The lady who was hurt by an auto mobile, April 11, on Sixteenth and Howard streets would like to have the lady who paid her gas bill call her at Webster 1171. TULSA’S PASTORS DISCUSS OUTBREAK Mob Violence Subject of Pulpit Talks: Various Causes Ascribed to It biting. Tulsa, Okla., June 6.—The visit of Dr. Dubois, editor of a Negro mag azine, not many weeks ago had a bearing on the race trouble bear last week. Bishop E. D. Mouzon intimated in a sermon yesterday. Practically all !Tulsa ministers devoted at least a! (part of their sermons to the race riot, its causes and results j “Negroes on the night^of the riot! found their guns and amunition in jibe office of the Star, Negro paper,” | said the bishop. “I believe that Du Ihois’ visit had much to to with this! • fact. He is one of the mqst dangerous I Negroes in the country, i Pleads for Dirarmament, ‘ The mob and the mob spirit are always wrong. It is ruinous to civil ization. Agitators can accomplish ! nothing but harm. Tulsa has been j (disgraced in the eyes of the world. | Civilization broke down here. Every one of us is partly responsible be cause we took no more interest in J 'the government and law inforce-; ment.” Rev. Rolfe Pomeroy C "'m, of Trin ity Episcopal church used the riot to illustrate Itow possesion of arms leads to warfare. He used the lllus jtration to advocate disarmament for the nation and world. Hill Stop Bragging. “The events of the jiast week will stop Tulsa’s bragging and set her to doing and thinking,” said the Rev C. W. Kerr of the First Presbyterian. A| prevailing spirit of lawlessness com bined with bod Negroes started the! trouble, lie opined. Causes of the riot were variously Cited as failure to enforce the law, invasion of the business district, by (Negroes, lack of Interest in city and county government by decent citizen jship and indiscriminate possession of weapons by people. IIA KIM Mi DIH’I.OKKN TI 'I.S A It AI' K ItlOTS Lincoln I'niversity, l’a., .lime (>.— | In an address before 400 Negro stu-i dents at Lincoln university today, President Harding deplored the re-* cent race riot at Tulsa, Okla., and all similar outbreaks of race rioting. ‘‘God grant,’’ he said , in referring to the riot, ’that we may never have an other spectacle like it.” The president was shown the gran ite arch erected in memory of Negro soldiers who died in the World War and in his talk said the colored sol diers earned this honor. The presi dent. also spoke of the great benefits of education in furthering the wel fare of the Negroes, and contrasted the fine scene presented at the uni ven-ity with those enacted in race distil rbances. i .V/WAV.VAV.V.V.V.V/.V.V.V.V.V.'.V.’.V.V.V.V.ViV. » ‘J l' *. :• The Monitor reaches the Colored :j people of Omaha and Nebraska and j; :j has a wide circulation in every state ■: :■ in the union. ■: J | ;i It has taken Six Years to build up j; j: this circulation and we are still grow- j !j ing. j 5 £ :• Merchants who desire to reach the i: ji best buyers in the community use j: I The Monitor. :• 1. J ,'.v.v///.vj,wasv.wmv.v.vw;w.vav/.vmv.v.v.v.v PITIFUL TALES OF MISERY ARE TOLD BY BLACKS Onlj Handful of Salvage From Burned REAL ESTATE MEN BEGIN TO FIX LOSS. Tulsa, June 3.—The plight of many Negroes today still remained pitiful. The Y. M. C. A. building where the Red Cross has established its identi fication bureau, was the scene of mingled emotions as hope for lost ones remained unfulfilled or disbanded families were reunited. While there remains no trace of race hatred many Negroes still come to the city hall with fear and trembling for the little white badge inscribed ‘police protection,” which, once don ned, immediately restores the Negro's faith and subdues their fear. Wept Injury a Secret. Many pitiful tales of the misery and suffering of the Negro refugees are told. Some venture into the burned dftsrict to come away with small ban dana handkerchief bundles filled with | their entire salvage from once excel lent homes. In a prominent hotel yesterday the day porter along in the afternoon being passed by the manager, sum moned the courage to say “Boss I’se : gettin’ kinda weak.” It was found he I had been shot through the side at the | small of the back and for 24 hours | had feared to reveal his injury lest he be taken for one of the rioters and summarily executed. Two committees from the real es tate exchange today were busy in the devasted district fixting the amounts of losses. It was decided for the pres ent that an imaginary fire line would! be drawn about the burned district, and that no flimsy structures would be erected thereon. Plan $500,000 Fund. Intent on restoring the homes of Ne- j groes the committee of seven has not [ yet definitely decided on just what form that restoration shall take. Itj has several proposals before It. ami it | is known that while tlie segregation plan here was regaivtihl as one of the; most effective in the country, it is in-1 tended to build a Negro district which will he regarded as peerless is to be j in great part an atonement for the harm done, as well as an example for other cities. The Real Estate Exchange has pro posed that the burned districts rough ly a mile square, be converted into an j Industrial and wholesale district and a new residence and business district for Negroes be built adjacent to it, on the north and east, and, at present this plan is discussed chiefly by the committee of seven. The committee expects no difficulty in obtaining the $500,000 it has decid ed as the amount necessary to re build homes which were owned by Ne groes. Taking Care of Negroes. ( Hundreds ol Negroes, wearing badges inscribed “Police protection,” j were on the streets and downtown Tulsa took on a normal appearance. Negroes were at work in hotels and stores and other business places. Em ployes fed them and provided shelter last night in garages, shops and base ments of residences. More than 1,000 Negroes, those who have not been released from guard, slept last night at the fair grounds. The Red Cross fully organized for the emergency at a dozen churches. An identification bureau operated by the Red Cross was sifting the names of the refugees and bringing families hack together. Contributions from a number of out side cities were received today by the Red Cross for relief work. Tulsa, Okla, June 3.—Definite plans for building homes for the thousands f Negroes rendered destitute by the burning of the Negro quarter here in tlie race war of Tuesday night und Wednesday were being worked out to day by a civilian committee of relief. Business men of the city were pledged to erect as many houses as needed in the shortest time possible and only the details remained to l>e worked out. One plan was to clear away the debris from the section lev elled by fire and erect permanent dwellings costing from $500 to $1,000 each. Another scheme under consid eration was to form -a corporation to buy up land in the northern section of the city and build a new Negro col ony.—Muskogee Times-Democrat. NOTICE Adverse working conditions ac counts for The Monitor being one day late this week for the first time in our history. We have hope to be out on time next week. DIOCESE OF GEORGIA AGAINST LYNCHING Bishop Reese of Georgia In His Convention Address Vigorously Condemns Mob Violence And Opposes The Ku Klux Klan As An Unlawful and Dangerous Organization. Declares Decent People Are Horrified at Unspeakable Crime Against Colored People in the South. CONVENTION ENDORSES PRELATES POSITION Unanimously Passes Resolution Approving Bishop Reese’s State ment And Recommending That The Specific Portion of His Address Dealing With Law Enforcement And Suppression of Mob Violence Be Read In Every Episcopal Church in the Diocese. Savannah, Ga., June 9.—The Epis copal Church in the Diocese of Geor gia took unusual action in its recent annual convention held in this city when not only the Rt. Rev. Frederick F. Reese, D. D., counted one of the most conservative of southern bishop devoted a large portion of his address and charge to the convention in dras tic denunciation of the lawlessness and crime of this great state against Ne groes, but the convention also heart ily endorsed the prelate's position and by resolution ordered that the address should be read by every clergyman of the Episcopal church in Georgia to his congregation. The Bishop spoke1 strongly against the Ku Klux lvlan. maintaining that there is no ustitica tion for the existence of such an or ganization at this time and that it is an unwarranted and dangerous folly which wdll be used for unlawful and dangerous purposes. Speaking on the question of law and order and against mob violence, Bish-1 op Reese said in part: “I am concerned more about thej danger and injury done by mob and other forms of violence. These work j grave injustice frequently to innocent! people and always do grave injury to the dignity and security of our state, j I speak of this more immediately in! connection with such acts against our' Colored people. All decent people are horrified at the charges of unspeak able crime against some of these peo-; pie wTiich are now the subject of le gal investigation. As a Southerner and a white man I know the diffi culties of our situation and the irri tations that the situation is calculated to excite in us. But no irritations or criminal outrages can justify mob vio lence or other similar injustices. Many of these people are industrious, re spectable and law-abiding. They are entitled to justice. All of them are our brethren in Christ. They are en titled to every opportunity possible to live in peace and security and to work out without unnecessary restriction their individual and racial destiny as Ihey are capable of doing so. “The race question is too compli cated and too serious to be disposed of by any offhand judgment of ig norance and prejudice. It is not only the future of the Negro which is at stake, but the future of our own peace and security. For the violence and the domination of force of one race over another cannot produce anything but loss and disaster to both races. It is a question of how we shall main Of the loss of that I have no fears. Itt is a question of how we shall main tain it—whether we do so by force or by just administration of law and by the inevitable working out of natural law-. Every exhibition of threat breeds violence after its kind and the end is destruction and a scarcely concealed anarchy. “I hereby protest most solemnly and earnestly against such methods. I protest against the misguided, if not criminal folly, of those who have dis turbed the situation and created dis trust and apprehension among the bet ter Negroes by organizing a secret so ciety under a name which can only recall the lawless violence of those who perverted the purpose of the original society so named a generation ago. No patriotic or sensible man could for one moment consider it any thing but folly to organize a Ku Klux Klan at this day. The name condemns it. It is not necessary. It can only be at the least a serious error. It cannot fail to be perverted, even if in its origin, not unlawful, to unlaw ful and dangerous purposes. “I think Christian people and good citizens should utter their minds and express their convictions about mat ters. It should condemn evil and evil customs. It should stand for law and order against secret or open violence. It should take its stand to protect the weak. And I believe that at this time of serious issues it should proclaim its moral judgment against wrong and injustice. I therefore ask this con vention to adopt and to publish its condemnation of all mob violence, of all acts of injustice against the Negro and to declare its opinion that the or ganization of this secret society is more thin a mistake. It is an unwar ranted and dangerous folly.’ SOME SELF-EXPLANA TORY TELEGRAMS Colored Americans Matching Intently Movements at National Capital and Demanding that Their Loyalty to the Republican Party be not Requit ed by Betrayal of Brethren in South to the Lily Whites. Robert Church Fearless Champion of His People, and Other Leaders Right on the Job. Vigilant watch is being kept at the National capital concerning legisla tion and proposals which affect our particular group of Americans. Strong, sane and fearless leaders are there right on the job. The National Republican Committee is meeting there now. Forecasting their attitude on certain vital questions telegraphic information is given whenever con-: certed action is imperative. The following telegrams are self-ex planatory : Washington, D. C,, June 7, 1921. Rev. John Albert Williams, Editor Monitor. Omaha, Neb. Have positive information that Mr. Howell is making determined effort to reduce delegated representation of the Southern states in Republican Na tional Convention and wants to turn the organization of South Carolina and other Southern states over to the Lily Whites. Suggest that you and other leaders there send him strong telegrams urging that he op pose the reduction. Address him care Republican National Committee, Mun sey Building. This is vitally import ant so please act quick. Advise me collect, Whltelaw Hotel. R. R. CHURCH. Tlie editor of The Monitor imme diately communicated with several of our active citizens here who tele graphed their view's to R. Beecher Howell, whose attitude on this ques tion is wrong. Mr. Howell, who has announced his candidacy for United States senator from Nebraska, is go mg at affairs decidedly in the wrong way if he expects the support of the Colored voters of Nebraska. THIRTIETH AN NIPER.SARY OE ACTIVE MINISTRY Saturday June 11, St. Barnabas’ Day is the thirtieth anniversary or dination of the Kev. John Albert Wil liams to the ministry and Sunday of his taking charge of the Church of | St. Philip the Deacon. He was ordain ,ed deacon in St. Barnabas' Church, lomaha, Thursday, June 11, 1891 by the Kt. Kev. George Worthington, D. D. Bishop of Nebraska The ordi | nation sermon was preached by the Kev. John Williams, then rector of St. Barnabas Church and priest-in charge of St. Philip's for several years. The candidate was presented for ordination by the Very Rev. Charles H. Gardner, dean of Trinity Cathedral, Omaha. He was im mediately appoints! deacon-in-charge of St. Philip’s, under Rev. John Wil liams, until his advancement to the priest hood which took place in St. Matthias’ Church, Omaha four months later, when he entered upon tils full priestly duties. St. Barnabas’ Holy Comunion will be celebrated at 7 a. m., and Sunday services will be . held at the usual hours SLOGAN: “The Monitor In Every Home And I’ll Help Put It There”